4.4 Themes and Sub-Themes That Emerged from Data Generated
4.4.2 Challenges experienced by principals in retaining qualified educators in schools
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Thina njengoba sikude nje nomnyango i information eningi asiyitholi ngeskhathi sizwa zesizwa ngozakwethu abasebenza emalokishini noma emadolobheni. Nalento yokungabi nama library lana iyasishaya. Kunezinto eziningi esingakwazi ukuzenza njengokungena kwi internet. Utholukuthi sifuna ukwenza ama assignment. Ama exam time-table nje sometimes siwathola ukubhala sekuqalile, ngoba phela neposi asinalo lana lisedolobheni. (Since we are far away from the department, most of the information we get it from our colleagues, those who are working in suburbs. We don’t have a library; there are lot of things that we cannot access, like internet. We cannot do our assignments; we sometimes get examination timetables in the middle of exams since the Post Office is in town). This is so discouraging and it’s even worse to teachers.
According to participants lack of professional development is also a challenge in recruiting qualified educators in schools located in rural areas. They view professional development as important even though there are obstacles. This is also supported by some scholars. Hudson and Hudson (2016) state that reduced professional and social ranks stimulate contempt for rural placement. Collins (1999) maintains that educators working in rural areas do not have difficulties accessing social services only, but are also professionally secluded. These educators find it challenging that their prerogatives such as professional development opportunities are not made available to them. Darling-Hammond (2013) states that influence recruitment for more competent educators proposes that continuous career development and better prospects to partake in school extensive decision-making significantly influence educators being recruited. The reason why this study was premised in Human relations theory is to demonstrate the value of qualified educators in schools located in rural areas as an investment. This means that educators need to grow as life-long learners. Policies in education change regularly, therefore educators need to be at par with new developments.
4.4.2 Challenges experienced by principals in retaining qualified educators in schools
54 4.4.2.1 Challenging Working Conditions
The participants were asked to elaborate on what they meant about challenged working conditions.
Challenged working conditions that were identified include poor accommodation, lack of health facilities, poor infrastructure and under resourced material. All these conditions are discussed below.
Poor accommodation
The participants in the current study agreed that poor accommodation is indeed a challenge in retaining qualified educators in schools located in rural areas. This happens when there is no proper accommodation. They shared that educators are overcrowded with no proper housing, theft and privacy. Mzi commented that:
We do have cottages inside the school, come let me show you, you see these are our cottages as you can see them, they are not in good order, some are having cracks. What do we call this? Uthayela, (corrogurated iron). It is very old, when it rains water comes in.
Mam Zungu also voiced the same concern as Mzi, saying:
You know mam, what we usually do on arrival of a new educator we go to the houses near the school. We ask for accommodation and the educator pays rent. I don’t know how much they pay, but as you can see, they don’t have luxury homes, most of them have amaqhugwane (hut) roofed with grass, some of them are complaining about the safety of those houses when they are not around. They are afraid of thieves and veld fires that are accompanied by strong winds.
Mam Madlala had the same viewpoint with other two participants. She said:
Ai ai ai… this is a thorny issue, we don’t have accommodation at all. We have big round house at the shop and educators share that house. That is not healthy for adults to stay together like that. Adults need privacy.
Data revealed that participants view the issue of poor accommodation as a threatening issue in retaining qualified educators in schools located in rural areas. This is corroborated by Akyeampong and Stephens’ (2014) report that student teachers in Ghana, considered teaching in rural areas as unpleasant due to unbefitting teacher housing. This put forward that the well-
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being of employees must be highly considered at all times so that they feel safe and perform their duties. Hawthorne experiment in a human relations theory proved that if employees feel valued they tend to perform their best. This means choosing to stay will be their priority.
Lack of Health Facilities
From data generated all participants voiced out same sentiments that, lack of health facilities becomes a barrier in retaining qualified educators. This emerged as a sub-theme emanated from challenged working conditions which is a challenge in retaining educators in schools located in rural areas. They voiced the issue of doctors and clinics and their remoteness. The following is a verbatim excerpt from Mzi:
It is a very difficult situation, when all has been done interviews are done. Then a successful incumbent comes then after few days, she leaves the school. I was told that one lady who came for interviews cited water issue and said she has allergies, she was afraid of water related illness, since in the area there is no clinic or medical doctors.
She said she didn’t know where the school is situated if she knew before interviews, she would not bother coming.
Mam Zungu said:
There is a mobile clinic, but the problem it comes once a week or sometimes it doesn’t come at all, depends on the weather. This becomes a huge challenge even to old people who are on chronic medications. Angsaphathi ke eyodokotela abekho nje nhlobo, if you need a doctor you need to go to Melmoth or Eshowe, nakhona ke kuyavukwa akudlalwa, transport is scarce ihamba ngeskhathi. (Let alone the issue of doctors, there are no doctors at all. If you need a doctor you go to Melmoth or Eshowe and since the transport is scarce you need to be as early as possible). Qualified educators are afraid for their lives.
Mam Madlala concurs with mam Zungu saying:
In this area even an ambulance takes isikhathi sayo (takes long to come) just imagine.
I don’t know why because if you call an ambulance, you have an emergency.
Data revealed that health issues has an impact on educational issues which is supported by Macdonald (2013) who states that lack of medical care as well as counselling for educators
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remain a challenge in retaining qualified educators. Akyeampong and Stephens (2014) posit that student teachers in Ghana seem unsettled because of risk of diseases.
Poor infrastructure and under-resourced materials
The participants in a study were in broad agreement that infrastructure and resources play a vibrant role in retaining educators in schools. This theme emerged when participants were asked if from their experience as school principals, infrastructure, and resources add any value in teaching and learning that may even impact on educators to decide whether they stay or leave their jobs. They echoed similar views like, old buildings, vandalism, and shortages of resources.
Mzi adamantly stated that:
Schools with poor infrastructure like us, suffer a lot, teachers do not stay longer. They come and take perusal thereafter they go. Poor buildings are not appealing at all.
Mam Zungu concurs with Mzi, she said:
We have old buildings and we don’t have teaching aids. This makes educators unwilling to stay. The way the structure looks say a lot. Sometimes we improvise in making teaching aids and sometimes teachers use their money to buy things like science kit and so on.
Mam Madlala commented on this by saying:
You see, most of these classes are without doors and windows, people from the community vandalise the school. Sometimes cattle sleep here; it is very challenging to teach under these circumstances more especially in winter. This condition is unbearable.
The data shows that poor infrastructure and lack of resources are challenges. Many scholars support this. The Nelson Mandela Foundation (2005) confirms that absence of basic facilities such as provision of adequate infrastructure affects development and delivery of quality teaching in remote schools. Towse et al. (2013) student teachers in Tanzania are not satisfied about inadequate school resources and poor infrastructure of most schools. Guarino et al.
(2006) argue that educators are often difficult to apprehend because of insufficient and
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sometimes deteriorating resources. Similar sentiments are shared by Leukens et al. (2004) who noted that some of the reasons for educators abandoning schools located in rural areas are lack of basic resources. It is evident that schools need to have good infrastructure in acceptable standards and adequate resources. Thus, the human relations theory proved relevant to the current study because it considers more than one aspect in work related matters.
4.4.2.2. Adaptation
The general view from participants shows that adaptation is amongst other challenges in retaining qualified educators. Adaptation means moving from one place to the next and getting used to the conditions. This emerged when the participants were asked according to their own experience as the school principal, how quick novice educators adapt to the work environment.
They mentioned family issues, working conditions, and the nature of their employment as some of the factors considered in adaptation. Commenting on this issue mam Zungu said:
That is the main problem because they do not adapt easily, most of them. Sometimes it becomes difficult to an extent that a person leaves. Sometimes you learn that a person has an infant or a toddler that she has to be separated with.
Mzi is on the same view with mam Zungu:
Even if they try very hard to hide that adaptation is not easy, but it is not easy to hide.
Some of them are forced to be here because they were placed by the department since they were funded by Funza Lushaka bursaries.
Mam Madlala adds that it is not easy to stay in the place you did not grow in She said:
Other teachers they stay because of the conditions of their employment. Like bursars.
Others leave in the first few years of their employment. It was even hard for me when I arrived here, but I’m fine now.
The view that qualified educators are facing challenges in working in rural areas is supported by Rust and Dalin (2014) who note that qualified educators are usually unwilling to stay in rural environments. Some of them do not cope with such conditions, since they are not used to.
58 4.4.2.3 Poor Technological Advancement
All participants in this study agreed that poor technological advancement is another form of challenge in retaining qualified educators in schools. This emerged in the researcher’s discussion with participants. They were very adamant that poor technological advancement bears adverse effects in retaining qualified educators in their schools. They voiced out the issue of network signal, internet, among others. This was stated clearly by Mam Madlala:
You know what, the signal is very poor here, my cell phone becomes a toy when we arrive here, till we depart, it is a very difficult condition to deal with, more these younger teachers who just left their homes and stay here. It is so much obvious that if they get work from other better places they will leave us without any hesitation.
Mam Zungu had this to say:
Development in this area is very slow in such that some places do not have network and electricity.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Mzi, that what he said:
I think it is going to take us some time to be on par with other schools in terms of technology because some people are stereotyped. They do not want electricity saying uzoxhopha izinkomo (will affect their cattle). This affects us big time as a school. If we had electricity we would have achieved many things like having computer classes.
All participants in this study emphasised technological advancement as the backbone of teaching and learning these days, since other schools are using tablets or iphones when learning. Hereunder are scholars who support these findings:
According to Rihani (2015) geographic isolation includes distance isolation, whereby the school is located many kilometres away from technological advancement, which results in network problems. Hobbs (2014) points out that the technology can offer the tools to advance the recruitment and retention processes of educators in schools located in rural areas. He further states that technology can be utilised to cover the separation gap in rural areas by offering resources, information, and support to educators.
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4.4.3 Mitigating Strategies of Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Educators in Schools